Shoegazer Sunday: Soft Blonde’s “Walk Under Lightning Strokes”

September 13th, 2015

Soft Blonde is on the Mazzy Star-twangy end of Shoegaze, with a few dashes of prog rock thrown in for good measure. Here’s “Walk Under Lightning Strokes” off their No Good Trying EP.

(Hat tip: Primal Music Blog.)

Library Additions: 4 Books, 3 Non-Fiction

September 8th, 2015

Here’s the final titles I bought from the Cold Tonnage 40% off sale, three of which are non-fiction and the fourth just an odd item:

  • Bradbury, Ray (illustrated by Gary Gianni). The Nefertiti-Tut Express. The RAS Press, 2012. First edition oversized oblong (9″ x 12″ long) chapbook edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. Oversized illustrated edition of a longish poem. Signed by Gianni. Bought for £12.
  • Clarke, I. F. Voices Prophesying War. Oxford University Press, 1990. First edition hardback (of this new expanded and updated edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket with slight wear on rear points. Non-fiction. The standard reference on future war fiction. Bought for £10.80.
  • (Ellison, Harlan) Priest, Christopher. The Book on the Edge of Forever. Fantagraphics Books, 1994. First edition trade paperback format (perfect-bound with the look and feel of a short graphic novel, which is Fantagraphics primary line), a Fine- copy. Non-fiction. An inquiry into the non-appearance of Harlan Ellison’s massive, long-delayed anthology The Last Dangerous Visions, expanded from an earlier fanzine titled The Last Deadloss Visions. Hugo Award nominee for best Non-Fiction. Bought for £15. Not particularly a Priest fan (I had lunch with two of his ex-wives at the 2014 London Worldcon), but when you’re right…

    Book Edge Forever

  • (Heinlein, Robert A.) Olander, Joseph and Martin Harry Greenberg, editors. Robert A. Heinlein (Writers of the 21st Century Series). Taplinger, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction. Bought for £12.
  • Quick Hits From a Movie Viewing Party

    September 7th, 2015

    Quick impressions from a movie viewing party yesterday:

    Guardians of the Galaxy: Yep! Not my favorite Marvel, but in the top 10.

    The Lego Movie: A whole lot better than you had any right to expect it to be.

    Coherence: Eh. Ends better than it begins, but shallow California Yuppies sort of spoil the quantum mechanical creepiness.

    Also, congratulations to whoever cut the trailer for The Frame: You’ve managed to craft a trailer so stylistically annoying that I never want to see the movie just to spite you…

    Shoegazer Sunday: Tuath’s “Ag dúnmharú an timpeallacht” Live

    September 6th, 2015

    Though you can’t tell from the video description, this is Ireland’s Tuath performing “Ag dúnmharú an timpeallacht” live. It’s a straightforward guitar-drive instrumental piece. (I only know the name of the song by tracking down their bandcamp page for the album it came from.)

    (Hat tip (indirectly): Primal Music Blog.)

    Beware, Evil Doers! You Face The Tick!

    September 4th, 2015

    In 2001, Fox premiered the live-action version of The Tick. I thought they did a pretty credible effort capturing the comic book’s goofy, off-kilter charm, despite an incredibly modest budget for a live action network show (they couldn’t even hire someone who looked like Jimmy Carter for the pilot).

    So naturally, it being on Fox, they cancelled it after nine episodes

    Now comes word that Amazon is resurrecting the show with Patrick Warburton back in the title role.

    If it gets picked up, I may have to finally break down and subscribe to Amazon Prime…

    (Hat tip: Bill Crider on Facebook.)

    Library Additions: Five Signed Books

    September 2nd, 2015

    More books from that Cold Tonnage 40% off order:

  • Brunner, John. Times Without Number. The Elmsfield Press, 1974. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed and dated by Brunner in 1987, with his usual peace symbol. Currey (1979), page 24. Bought for £18.

    Brunner Times Without Number

  • Disch, Thomas and Charles Naylor. Neighboring Lives. Scribner’s, 1981, First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head in a Near Fine- dust jacket with one 1/8″ by 1/4″ triangular chip at top front cover ner head and wear at points. Signed by both Disch and Naylor. Bought for £18.

    Neighboring Lives

    (The scratches in this pic are surface wear on the dj protector.)

    IMG_0437

  • Joyce, Graham. The Limits of Enchantment. Gollancz, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Joyce. Bought for £9.
  • Le Guin, Ursula K. From Elfland to Poughkeepsie. Pendragon Press, 1973. First edition paperback chapbook original, #49 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Non-fiction. Currey (1979), page 306. Bought for £18.
  • Williamson, Jack. Manseed. Del Rey, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Williamson. Bought for £9.
  • Gene Wolfe, Pringles, Mental Floss and Me

    August 31st, 2015

    Mental Floss is one of those sites that does a lot of lists (“10 Celebrities That Played Chess,” etc.). Oddly enough, this week I turned up in the 12 Crispy Facts About Pringles list, touching on Gene Wolfe’s involvement in designing the machine that makes Pringles potato chips.

    Funny the things you actually get remembered for…

    (Hat tip Bill Crider.)

    For Shoegazer Sunday, How About An Entire Slowdive Concert?

    August 30th, 2015

    Here’s an entire hour-long Slowdive concert that took place less than two weeks ago at the Paredes de Coura festival in Portugal. Evidently this went out on Portuguese radio (in mono), and includes nice versions of “Catch the Breeze” and “Machine Gun.”

    And just as soon as Slowdive puts out a live album from the current tour I’ll be in full “shut up and take my money” mode…

    The Salt Lick Sues The Salt Lick

    August 28th, 2015

    Dispatch from the BBQ Wars:

    Salt Lick BBQ is picking a legal fight with a Georgia company it claims is infringing on its name and reputation.

    In a lawsuit filed in Texas’ Western District U.S. Court, the Driftwood restaurant chain claims that the Salt Lick Sausage Co. of Cordele, Georgia, is violating the Central Texas company’s trademark by offering barbecue products for sale via its website www.saltlicksausage.com, which is similar in nature to www.saltlickbbq.com.

    Salt Lick claims the Georgia company is using marks and iconography that are similar to its own, and that Salt Lick Sausage stands to benefit from the international reputation and publicity enjoyed by Salt Lick.

    The ironic thing, of course, is that the sausage is far and away the least impressive of the Driftwood Salt Lick’s signature meats.

    But here’s a revealing tidbit:

    “The Austin-area company generated more than $25 million in revenue and served more than 650,000 customers at its main restaurant in Driftwood.”

    Having been there fairly recently, I can believe it…

    John Clute’s Library Going to Telluride Institute

    August 26th, 2015

    I had no idea when I posted that tardy donation news for Allen Lewis’ library yesterday that this would be Great SF Collections Ending Up In Libraries Week.

    Critic John Clute’s considerable SF library is ending up at the Telluride Institute, where Clute is a trustee.